Candle holders



Feb. 3; 1970 R. NISSEN I CANDLE HOLDERS Filed March 22, 1968 United States Patent 3,493,315 CANDLE HOLDERS Richard Nissen, Langaa, Denmark Filed Mar. 22, 1968, Ser. No. 715,293 Claims priority, application Denmark, Mar. 31, 1967, 1,755/ 67 Int. Cl. F23d 3/16 US. Cl. 431295 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Candles are held in a candle-holding body which has the shape of a body of revolution, for example, a ball, the ball being inserted into a cavity in a base block; the cavity is funnel-shaped, that is, converging toward the bottom with taped side walls, and the body of revolution has a maximum diameter which is slightly less than the opening at the upper edge of the cavity, so that the angular position of the candle-holding body is adjustable Within the cavity, and the candle-holding body will be frictionally retained by the converging, tapered side walls.

The present invention relates to a candle holding device and more specifically to a candle holding device having a stand body and a candle supporting body which is adapted to be engaged with the stand body.

It is a purpose of the invention to provide a candle holding device of the type hereinbefore referred to in which the candle supporting body can be firmly engaged with the stand body.

It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a candle holding device of the type referred to, in which a candle can be safely supported in an inclined position relatively to the stand body.

It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a device which can be manufactured from different materials according to modern manufacturing technique and provide the desired result.

Further purposes and advantages of the invention will be described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a candle holding device according to the invention in an embodiment illustrating the holding of a plurality of candles,

FIGURE 2 is a candle holding device showing the principle of the invention with the support of a single candle,

FIGURE 3 is a cross section through the device of FIGURE 2 and FIGURE 4 is an exploded view of the modified embodiment of a candle holding device according to the invention.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a candle holding device according to the invention for a plurality of candles. The device comprises a stand body block with a substantially flat bottom which enables it to stand on a surface such as a table and with a top surface 12 in which a plurality of apertures are provided for receiving each one of a corresponding plurality of candle holding bodies 14.

The candle holding bodies are in the form of bodies of revolution and the apertures in the body block are slightly tapering from the top surface 12 of the body block and are so dimensioned relatively to the candle holding bodies that the candle holding bodies extend into the apertures with the equator of the surface slightly below the surface of the stand body.

By constructing the stand body and/or the candle holding bodies of a material which provides for frictional engagement between the stand body and each of the candle holding bodies it is possible to engage each candle 3,493,315 Patented Feb. 3, 1970 holding body firmly with the stand body so as to secure the candles in any predetermined position relatively to the stand.

The stand of FIGURE 1 is provided with a central aperture symmetrically surrounded with a plurality of apertures whereby it is possible as illustrated to provide the candle holding device with a central upright candle 16 and a plurality of circumferentially disposed candles 18 which extend in inclined positions which is possible by using non-dripping candles.

The candle holding bodies are preferably made of a non-inflammable material such as metallic bodies and in order to provide for the necessary frictional engagement between the candle holding bodies and the stand body, the stand body may be made of a block of a material of a resiliency different from the metallic candle holding bodies such as wood, plastic or the like.

In this respect wood is preferred and especially expensive woods, such as rose wood, teak or the like, or in the case of a cheaper wood, a wood which is made non-inflammable by suitable impregnation as it is well known in the art. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the candle holding members are in the form of substantially ballshaped bodies such as illustrated with reference to FIG- URES 2 and 3.

In FIGURES 2 and 3 the candle holding member 14 is in the form of a substantially ball-shaped member, having at one pole a cylindrical bore 20 of a diameter operable to receive the lower end of a candle of one predetermined diameter and surrounded by a flattened portion 22.

From the other pole of the ball-shaped member a second bore 24 extends as shown in FIGURE 3 at a diameter different from the bore 20 for receiving a candle of another size.

The equator of the ball is in FIGURE 3 designated by 28 and as apparent from the cross section of FIGURE 3 the aperture 26 of the stand body 10 which extends the whole way through the stand body is slightly conical with the apex at the bottom and has a diameter at the top sufficient to enable the equator 28 of the ball member to engage the aperture slightly below the top surface of the stand member.

The edges of the aperture may be sharp or slightly rounded.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 2 and 3 it is supposed that the candle holding member 14 is a metallic body and that the stand block is a wooden body or a body of a resiliency different from metal so as to provide for an easy firm frictional engagement.

It will be appreciated, however, that it is not necessary within the scope of the invention to construct the stand body and the candle holding body of two different ma terials as long as the frictional engagement between the two bodies can be made safe enough.

Though a ball-shaped candle holding member to be received in a conical aperture of the stand body is preferable it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to a ball-shaped member but that as another embodiment of a body of revolution it is possible to construct the can dle holding member 14 in the form of a generally cylin drical member as shown in FIGURE 4 which is received in an aperture 26 of square configuration and with the opposed walls 26a and 26b which are adapted to engage the cylindrical surface of the body 14 tapering from the top surface of the stand body.

Obviously the embodiment of FIGURE 4 can be adapted to the embodiment of FIGURE 1 so as to adjust the inclination of the circumferential candles.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the drawing and that a plurality of other materials than mentioned can be used forthe candle holding bodies as well as the stand.

With respect to-the candle holding bodies all kind of materials may be considered such as metal, glass, ivory, or ceramic 'bodies and with respect to the stand body all kinds of Wood or plastic material may be considered.

I claim: 1. A candle holder comprising a stand formed as a block of material having at least one cavity formed therein, said cavity having tapering, converging side walls to form a funnel-shaped opening having the wide end of the funnel at the top side of the block; 1

at least one candle holding body formed as a body of revolution having a maximum diameter less than the dimension of the cavity at its junction with the top side of the block corresponding to said diameter, said candle holding body beinginserted in said opening, the tapered side walls of the cavity frictionally retaining said bodyin position therein; I

a means for receiving the lower end of a candle formed in said candle holding body.

2. Candle holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said candle holding body isball-shaped formed with a candle receiving ball, the diameter of the ball shaped body being less than the'maximum dimension of said tapering, converging cavity.

3. A candle holder as claimed. in clairnl, in which the candle holding body is of a substantially non-resilient material and the stand body is of a material'of limited resiliency. I

4. A candle holder as claimed in claim 3, in which the candle holding body is a metallic body and the stand body is made of wood.

5. A candle holding device comprising a relatively movable substantially ball shaped 'holding body having at least one bore operable 'to receive the lower end of a candle and a relatively stationary body block provided with at least one conical aperture tapering slightly from the surface with its apex in the direction toward the bottom and having a diameter at the top end slightly larger than the diameter of the equator of the ball body, said ball body being received in said cavity of the body block and holding it in any one of a plurality of positions with different angles between the axis of the bore of the ball body and the axis of the bore of the stand body by frictional engagement.

6. A candle holding device as claimed in claim 5, in which the ball body is of a substantially non-resilient material and the stand body is a block of a material of limited resiliency.

7. A candle holding device as claimed in claim 6, in which the ball body is a metallic body and the stand 'body is made of a block of wood.

8. A candle holding device as claimed in claim 5 comprising a plurality of ball bodies and a stand body having a corresponding plurality of apertures symmetrically disposed round a middle point.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner 

